People’s business communication style is different from their everyday communication style which they use when they are outside of the company, when they are at home, or when they are with friends. This is because there are professional expectations for your conduct at work that don’t exist at home. Think of a business communication style as a combination of your personality type, your worldview, and your focus at work.
We all have different communication styles and most of the time we can adapt them depending on who is listening, or who we are talking to. It is important to understand a person’s communication style because of the psychological effect of communicating with them and the way they want to be communicated with. When the style aligns, your communication flows, it leads to better retention of information and the listener is at ease with the conversation.
Here are the 4 business communication styles and their strengths and challenges :
Transcender
Your question is usually “What?”. You value results, doing and achieving. You know your objectives. You are down-to-earth, direct and decisive. You are energetic and make quick decisions.
Strengths
As a Transcender, you get along best with other Transcenders outside of work. But you may argue frequently with Transcenders at work, but usually over the best ways to do things and without emotion. You get along well with Systematicians because they are “Why?” people who are focused on accuracy and facts.
Challenges
Strategists and Socializers are more difficult for you to work with, because they both like lengthy discussions, and are much more concerned about the importance of ideas and relationships than you are.
Strategist
Your question is usually “Why?”. You value innovation, ideas and theories. You know your master plan. You are imaginative, charismatic, provocative, creative, but sometimes unrealistic.
Strengths
As a Strategist, you get along with other Strategists because they too are passionate about their ideas and the possibilities of improving the world. You get along well with Socializers because they are “Who?” people, and are always ready to share stories and have a lengthy conversation.
Challenges
Transcenders and Systematicians are more difficult for you to work with, because they both focus on brevity and are either too heavily focused on the results (the What) or the details of “How” which are not as interesting to them as the “Why”.
Socializer
Your question is usually “Who?”. You value people, teamwork, feeling, cooperation, beliefs and values. You know relationships. You are empathetic, warm, perceptive and sensitive.
Strengths
As a Socializer, you get along with other Socializers, especially and can discuss common friends at length. You also get along with Strategists or “Why” people who are passionate about their ideas and happy to discuss them.
Challenges
Transcenders and Systematicians are more difficult for you to work with, because they both focus on brevity and are either too heavily focused on the results (the What) or the details of “How” which are not as interesting to you as the “who?”, or the people involved.
Systematician
Your question is “How?”. You value facts, procedures, organization, analysis, proof and details. You know their methodology. You are patient, factual, systematic, wordy and unemotional.
Strengths
As a Systematician, you get along very well with other Systematicians especially if your logic and observations agree. You also get along with Transcenders or “What” people and appreciate their brevity and results focus.
Challenges
Strategists and Socializers are more difficult for you to work with, because they both engage in dialogue that strays from the topic or are too focused on their feelings and relationships rather than how the job should be done.
P2L’s Business Communication Style Assessment can help you further understand your communication style and how you can adjust your style to better communicate with your colleagues, clients, and business partners by identifying theirs.
